ChromeFin

Winter Comet

2011-12-14T12:54:00.002-05:00

Snowbound. Comet, Montana.

Shopping is for the 'Birds

2011-11-16T09:19:00.007-05:00

Okay, I know... I've stated here previously that I draw the line on what I consider a true classic at around 1971 or 72. Forgive me for the following post. I rolled out of the local Publix supermarket this afternoon and parked among a sea of yawn-inducing sheet metal was this time traveller from the mid-seventies... in mint condition at that. This 'Bird had lost 10 inches in length and a good 900 lbs. in curb weight from the previous generation Thunderbird, along with it's 460 cubic inch V-8 (the largest ever installed in a production vehicle by Ford). Still, with it's federally mandated bumpers, white landau top and blue paint, it was the sharpest grocery getter in the lot.

Havana Sunset

2011-11-01T14:17:00.002-04:00

Sully's Deuce and a Half

2011-09-29T10:01:00.006-04:00

Nestled between blocks of multimillion dollar beach and marshfront homes on Sullivan's Island, sits an overgrown lot with this rusting relic. An M35A, compliments of US Navy surplus by the looks of it.

The Chief Hangs Ten

2011-09-01T11:05:00.015-04:00

I've noticed what seems to be a growing trend here in Charleston. Old vehicles being used in business establishments as touchstones to drive traffic and interest. Half-Moon Outfitters displays a British racing green old MGB GT that I can't help sitting in every time I walk in the front door. Mike's Bikes keeps a cool mid-fifties F-100 panel van out front displaying their logo.

Recently I stopped into Charleston Watersport for surfboard repair and took some photos of this 1940 Pontiac Woody that still sits on it's original tires in the front window. I spoke with Dave the owner who purchased it from North Carolina. It apparently had languished in a shipping container for years. They say it's only original once and this one while a bit rough, is all there. Crack the door. A smell of ancient leather, varnish and motor oil hits you. The headliner reminds me of the joinery one might find on an old wooden sailboat. The repair work on a rear fender with the exposed wood screws and flaking paint looks to me like abstract art on a canvas. The hood ornaments... iconic. Dashboard and steering wheel... frozen in time. Way cool.

Sea Island Auto

2011-06-16T09:55:00.011-04:00

I was going to blog about a local business you don't see much of anymore... an old service station in town that always seems to have an interesting assortment of vintage iron in various stages of repair in their parking lot. I then stumbled upon a review on Yelp from a satisfied customer that sums up the flavor and history of the joint in her own words...

"Enter Sea Island Auto Service, a Mount Pleasant, South Carolina institution that's been around so long it "used to have a colored restroom," according to the owner. If we had seen the place before we decided to go with them, we might have changed our minds. But on the strength of a trusted friend's recommendation, we called Sea Island Auto, gave them directions to the car, and they towed and fixed it within two days, all without us ever leaving the house."  

I picked up the refreshed vehicle today (new battery and a new fuse, plus they tightened my alternator belt, whatever that means), and the charges were very reasonable. The whole place is kind of in a shambles, but charmingly so. Instead of the antiseptic waiting room you might find at a Mastercare or a Jiffy Lube, their office is chock full of memorabilia, manuals, and stray parts. The main counter was awash with sets of keys, and I had to hunt for my own, where's-waldo-style.   

Nothing too spiffy about their parking lot/junkyard either, much of which sprawls into a row of old car wash bays, but I still felt more comfortable with their humble business than with slicker national chains where I've been ripped off before.

Thanks Laura!

Some other vehicles featured on this blog serviced at Sea Island Auto include this old Caddy and an M175 Kaiser Jeep.

Roadside Riv

2011-05-31T09:23:00.005-04:00

Found this good looking 63' Riviera for sale early yesterday on an outparcel of an empty shopping mall in town. Amazing how some crisp sheet metal that unmistakably screams "sixties" can rouse one out of their commuting slumber. $9,800 or best offer and it's yours.

"Bitchin' Tuck-and-Roll"

2011-05-06T11:24:00.015-04:00

There's that line in American Grafitti where after borrowing Ron Howards ride, Terry the Toad tries to pick-up Candy Clark. "Bitchin' tuck-n-roll" she says. "I'll let you feel it" he blurts. I personally was never into Milner's '32 Deuce Coupe or Bob Falfa's badass '55 Chevy (see this post for another '55 that takes that title). Nope. It was the Impala that had this 12-year old lusting over it's styling. Flash forward to this 2010 ebay listing. It has seen better days. Often mistaken for a Bel Air, the Impala had the six tail lights to the Bel Air and Biscayne's eight. Also note the faux air outlets above the rear window which was only featured on the Sport Coupe. This one doesn't have the swank interior and mild customization of the movie version or the Saginaw 3-speed. Still, it evokes a time and place.

Fairlane Fever

2011-03-01T14:06:00.006-05:00

Picked-up my new Verizon iphone the other day and driving back to the office spotted this beauty parked down on Shem Creek. Looks like a fresh restoration on a 62' Fairlane. Tried a few of the stock filters on this new camera app and pleasantly surprised with the results.

Deuce and a Quarter Deal

2011-01-27T13:20:00.003-05:00

One thing this recession has done is produced some screaming deals in the collector car market. I'm not talking about investment-grade iron, but some really clean, driver quality classics that I would love to find a place for in my garage. I spend way too much time on a handful of my favorite auto sites then I should and I came across this beauty yesterday (I've posted before that I'm a sucker for early to mid-sixties Buicks). For considerably less than a new Malibu or Camry, you could pick-up this 63' Electra 225 for $14k and change. Still wearing it's original paint, an engine compartment you could eat off of, and room for the whole family in a 2-door no less. Check it out on Sovereign Auto.

Stacked

2011-01-21T14:15:00.002-05:00

365 Days in an "A"

2011-01-13T13:25:00.007-05:00

Interesting story in today's New York Times about one man's unusual choice of a daily driver. Turns out Jonathan Klinger, a PR manager for Hagerty Insurance took up a challenge from his boss. To prove how serious he was about his love for old cars, he agreed to drive his 1930 Model A Ford Tudor sedan for a year as his regular car. He put his 1993 Honda Accord and 1999 Ford Explorer in storage and began blogging daily about the experience. You can read it here.

A Winter's Tale

2010-12-10T09:02:00.002-05:00

Interesting vehicle about 43 seconds in. Any ideas on the make or manufacturer?

the lost junkyard from Marc Reed on Vimeo.

Stance

2010-10-27T10:14:00.004-04:00

There's nothing like the aggressive stance on a mid-sixties Mopar and this Plymouth Satellite HEMI has it in spades.

Road Trip

2010-10-22T09:36:00.006-04:00

I first wrote about the guys at Mercedes Motoring last spring. Hardcore 70'/80's vintage Mercedes restorer's and enthusiasts, they also produce some really great photography. Check out some highlights of their road trips with classic Mercedes worked cleverly into their compositions here.

Caddy Dreams

2010-10-18T14:11:00.003-04:00

It's best days far behind, this field-bound 1950 Sedan DeVille awaits it's fate.

Metro Babe

2010-09-17T08:46:00.009-04:00

Not to knock the quirky styling on a 60' Nash Metropolitan, but these may be the best looking lines on the vehicle...

Ventura Highways

2010-07-26T11:23:00.009-04:00

When's the last time you saw one of these Ponchos? I can't say I ever did. A 1968 Pontiac Ventura with the 428 big block and factory four speed? I'm loving the hardtop styling and aggressive stance. To say that Pontiac was at the top of their game in the late sixties would be an understatement. This vehicle is a low mileage original with just 32,850 on the clock. For the price of a new Camry, you could be hauling the family in this bad boy and never see another one on the road. Sign me up.

Point of No Return

2010-06-30T14:08:00.010-04:00

Amazing that one can still stumble upon these forgotten (rusted) sentinels in a booming community like Mount Pleasant, SC. Just a block off the busy main drag of Coleman Boulevard sits this 1951 Chevrolet in an overgrown lot. Tantalizingly close, but surrounded by chain link fence and rusted padlock are an assortment of mouldering boat hulls, trailers and an old Mercedes. I'm identifying this as a Styleline based on the tail lamps and trunk badge but could be wrong. Far past the point of restoration, it's strong Chevy styling is unmistakable to the end.

Kaiser Muscle

2010-05-24T08:10:00.017-04:00

I came across this 1967 Kaiser Jeep M715 tucked behind a local auto repair shop in Mount Pleasant yesterday. The US Government purchased these trucks to replace the Dodge M37 (to my eyes, the badder looking of the two). This one runs, and the first $5,700 takes it away. Here's some downhill footage of the M715 in action...

Concour's Quality

2010-05-14T07:59:00.012-04:00

Beautiful restoration on this 67' MGB Roadster by Joe DeMeo of Los Angeles. Bidding topped out at $26,600 on ebay.

You Can Go Home Again

2010-04-21T13:13:00.009-04:00

Ever get that feeling of deja vu? Happened to me recently as I was enjoying my coffee and reading the sunday NY Times online automotive section. The article was titled Lots of Web Traffic in Such a Tiny Town and the photography immediately drew my eye. Here were these wonderful photos of 50's and 60's automobiles... clearly models, but set into the most realistic backgrounds. Something seemed familiar... I'd been to some of these places before, but how could that be? They're only models after all. As I read further, it all fell into place. These 1/24-scale diecast car and truck models were mixed and matched with scratch-built sets, and then photographed against actual outdoor backdrops in and around Winchester, Ma. The place where I was born and spent the first eighteen years of my life. These images seem to capture the memories of those early childhood years where old Packards and Divco milk trucks still roamed Wedgemere Ave. I've had some email correspondence with Michael Smith about his work and the themes running through many of his readers comments resonate with me. It takes people back to a simpler place and time.

Stuttgart Gems

2010-04-15T08:40:00.008-04:00

While Chromefin will always be a big fan of classic detroit iron, we have also featured on this blog the likes of Austin Healeys, Citroens, and Volkswagons. I'd like to add Mercedes-Benz to the mix. Occasionally one comes across an automobile enthusiast's site where the more you drill down, the more pleasantly surprised you are. Such was the case when I came across Mercedes Motoring recently. To say these guys are serious about restoring old Benz's would be an understatement. The level of detail is amazing, right down to the correct factory inspection marks. Love this big 69' 300SEL 6.3 European model. Looks like it just rolled out of the showroom. Where do I sign up for mine?

Retro Rocket

2010-03-17T09:23:00.010-04:00

Set the way back machine to 1975. I had just been handed my learner's permit after completing two weeks of Driver's Ed, sharing a cramped Pinto with a foul smelling, cigar chomping instructor whose name was (you guessed it) Ed. It was also around the time that my old man traded in the family Wagoneer on a slightly used 72' Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme (Holiday) Hardtop Sedan.

Harvest Gold, Morrocan black vinyl interior with the "Rocket" 350 4-barrel and Turbo Hydra-matic. This was no 442, but it would haul 5 friends in comfort and style and once those secondaries kicked in, it would get up and go. The photograph was taken in our driveway shortly after the Cutlass had returned from the local body shop. It's hood, left front grill and bumper having been rebuilt after a serious fender bender. I washed a lot of dishes and bussed my share of tables that spring to cover the $1,000 repair bill. It was also a good lesson on winter driving to an overly optimistic teen and made me think twice about ever tailgating someone again in a snow storm. The 70' Newport I rear-ended was unscathed and no, those studded snow tires on the Cutlass weren't much help. Studded snows... remember those?

Handicapped Cars

2010-03-08T12:31:00.003-05:00

Interesting take on the automobile as an artistic form by artist Beni Bischof.

Super Bee on the Salt

2010-02-19T09:03:00.001-05:00

Nice little video of a 70' Super Bee on the Salt Flats....

Dodge Superbee Salt Flats color test by Vita Brevis Films from VITA BREVIS on Vimeo.

Seasons

2009-12-24T12:18:00.002-05:00

Speaking of sleighs....

Time Travel

2009-11-30T09:13:00.003-05:00

Fairhaven Bruiser

2009-11-12T08:08:00.007-05:00

A friend of mine came across this 4,000 pound beast recently in Fairhaven, MA. It's in extremely nice shape for a coastal new england location. The third generation 67' Grand Prix featured an all new front end with disappearing headlights and parking lamps hidden above in the fender tips.

Shorty's

2009-10-08T10:49:00.005-04:00

I have long been a fan of big Detroit iron... particularly mid-sixties Buicks. Reader Mike from CT sent me some photos recently of of his 1965 Buick Electra 225 Custom Coupe. Custom refers to the all vinyl interior and the black on black really sets off the crisp styling on this runner. All factory except wheels, offenhauser valve covers, and factory correct black repaint. It features the 401 Nailhead 4bbl and is one of the few coupes with rare cornering lights.

Mike says he drove the car from Connecticut to Detroit in 2008 for the Woodward Dream Cruise... 1,600 trouble free miles in one week. He found Shorty's off of Woodward Ave... a perfect backdrop for this black beauty.

Solitude

2009-10-01T11:41:00.002-04:00

Tiny Cars, Big Ideas

2009-09-26T10:37:00.003-04:00

This is one of those shape-shifters... looks really cool from certain angles while from others, well... not so much. I do think it could give the Smart Car (ugly as sin to my eyes) a run for its money. Myers Motors could be on to something.

Spanking a 59'

2009-09-20T10:19:00.006-04:00

In an effort to show how dramatically automobile safety has improved in the past fifty years, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently crash-tested a 2009 Malibu with a 1959 Bel Air. Let's just say I would never want to be driving a Bel Air (or any other late fifties era automobile for that matter) and be involved in a head-on collision. You can read more at the New York Times auto blog.

One Sick Nova

2009-09-10T08:04:00.007-04:00

It's been a long, hot summer in the Carolinas (to my Northern blood, it feels like it started back around April). The dog days of August led to vacation time, an office and a home move, and relegated this blog to the back burner. Now that Labor Day is past, I'm hoping to get back into the swing starting with couple of posts on Chevy's entry into the compact budget muscle car battle, the Nova. I should note here that as much as Chromefin is into rust buckets, we are an equal opportunity car blog and admire all types of classic sheet metal, including customs. First up is this Fesler built 1970. Check out the air ride about 60 seconds in. Stay tuned for some photos of a friend's 67' Nova wagon and his thoughts on what constitutes the perfect ride.

1970 Fesler Built Chevy Nova from chris fesler on Vimeo.

Harvest

2009-08-27T08:09:00.014-04:00

They don't grow them like this anymore. This 54' Vette was recently pulled from a field in upstate New York where it sat for many years. Buried to its hubs, it apparently took 10 hours to unearth it. Check out the root structure in the floorboards.

Great White

2009-08-01T13:22:00.005-04:00

I spotted this 1961 Cadillac Coupe early yesterday morning about a block from my office. It had temporary plates so recently put back on the road. The last inspection sticker read 1971. By far one of my favorite years for styling... a little less over the top with the fins then the 59' and 60' models. Looking forward to seeing this one cruising the streets of Charleston again.

Tin is In

2009-07-28T15:09:00.010-04:00

Never thought I'd be posting photos of toy cars on the Chromefin blog until I read about this exhibition at the Japan Society in Manhattan. Buriki: Japanese Tin Toys from the Golden Age of the American Automobile runs until August 15th this year. I see a 1953 Cadillac (1/24th scale of course) in my future.

Hatches Liquors

2009-07-24T08:49:00.005-04:00

Just back from a visit to Nantucket. Some nice old rides on this little island 30 miles off the coast of Cape Cod. This 57' Chevy Bel Air was pulled up at the pumps in front of Hatches Liquors.

Future Retro

2009-07-21T16:23:00.008-04:00

Pete Wozena's Proposal for an Oldsmobile artwork graces the cover of Future Retro, a hardcover I picked-up recently at Amazon. This volume contains the collected artwork of 40's through 60's mostly GM designers drawings.

One of a reviewer's comments left on the website say's it all: "These days, when all an automotive designer has to do is draw a boiled sweet potato and add windows, headlights, taillights and tires, it's great to relive an era of tailfins, chrome, baby moon hubcaps, whitewalls and two-tone paint jobs". Roger that.

The 100 Six

2009-07-17T08:21:00.013-04:00

Came across this cool, vintage sales brochure the other day on an Austin Healey enthusiast's site.

Cover Art

2009-07-07T09:17:00.005-04:00

These two covers I redesigned were submitted on spec recently to Motorbooks, the leading publisher and distributor of books for the enthusiast, and one I have contracted some cover designs with in other areas.

Swedish Stash

2009-06-27T12:08:00.008-04:00

Talk about a barn find... this was taken in an undisclosed location in Sweden last year. A mixture of foreign and domestic by the looks of it. Nice looking roadster towards the front of the left row... Anyone with ideas on makes?

Instrumental Art

2009-05-29T11:09:00.002-04:00

Dashboards we love...

Not For Sale

2009-05-25T14:29:00.006-04:00

I recently had one of those encounters you read about so often, it seems like a cliche. I was off to meet a friend who lives a few towns away. He was in the process of moving out of state and I wanted to get some pictures of the '67 Nova wagon he had put so much work into (nice ride, and a post for another time). Driving down the main drag, I caught the telltale glimpse of some sheet metal that screamed "pre-seventies". Sinking into the soil next to a small commercial strip of buildings was a mid-fifties classic, whose make I won't mention (feel free to insert the vehicle of your choice). There was something sprayed on the windshield that looked like the remnants of a price. My curiosity getting the best of me, I pulled a quick u-turn, figuring it was at least worth stopping to ask the ineveitable. As I entered the small office next door, I wondered how many had come before me with the same inquiry. The older gentleman explained that the car had been his. Twenty five years ago, he had parked it there and given it to his son who was going to restore it. The car had not moved since. Of course it was not for sale. The faded white lettering wasn't a price, but rather a faded, scrawled "No". As for the brief knowing glance that passed between father and son... was that the look of resignation or bemusement?

The Wrecking Crew

2009-05-13T15:45:00.016-04:00

Flashback to 1974. Before his cheeseball role as "The Bandit", Burt Reynolds in The Longest Yard was doing his thing behind the wheel of a Citroen SM. One of my favorite chase scenes of the seventies. Dig the Skynyrd and those white loafers.

Rural Wagon

2009-05-07T16:09:00.011-04:00

The part pickers have long since moved on from this 57' Ford 2-door Wagon (Del Rio or Ranch?). Nature's slowly doing the rest.

Two Lane Backtop

2009-05-02T15:26:00.015-04:00

While pulling together last week's blog on Pontiac's demise, I was reminded of a movie from years ago in which a GTO was prominently featured. I first saw Monte Hellman's Two Lane Blacktop when it was released in the summer of 1971. As an 11-year old, that poster in the theater lobby held the promise of fast cars... "no beginning... no end... no speed limit!" The basic premise was pretty simple... two street racers and their 55' Chevy meet up with a middle aged man and his 70' GTO (played by Warren Oates) who challenges them to a cross-country race.

Flash forward 20 years and I remember reading an article in the Boston Herald about how the movie had become a cult classic, even though copies of it were difficult to get (this was before DVD's and the internet). It had never registered with me that it was James Taylor who played the driver (his only film role) and Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys as the mechanic.

When Universal released a collector's edition VHS later that year, I immediately ordered a copy. Flash forward another 18 years to a few days ago when I found that same cassette (cover scan above) in a box of old tapes in the attic. With no VHS player in our house, I relied on YouTube for some condensed highlights. There's also a great site on Lakeland Raceway which was featured prominently in some of the drag racing scenes. A quote by it's author Louis Kimery is particularly poignant since it captures a moment in time before these cars had achieved legendary status. "The main (car) was a real street/strip 55 Chevy that pretty well epitomizes what a "hot rod" was during the early seventies. No one "restored" these cars in those days, and most were built for speed. The trend to make them ultra slick high dollar show pieces would take another 20 years to materialize."

The film seems to have garnered a new generation of admirers. Check out New York Times columnist's A. O. Scott's review.

The Chief Bows Out

2009-04-27T10:05:00.005-04:00

Gone but not forgotten... 'nuff said.

67X Toronado

2009-04-14T14:31:00.012-04:00

Forty two years ago, in celebration of Canada's Centenary at Expo 67, Imperial Oil Canada commissioned Barris Kustom Indistries to custom-build four 67' Oldsmobile Toronados with a futuristic look. The models were called the "67X" and were given away as prizes in a national competition. This is one of only two still known to exist.

The owner of the one shown here says it cranks and runs, but will need a complete body-off restoration. I'm a big George Barris fan, but the styling on the 67X was pretty far out there.

Lincvolt

2009-04-13T16:23:00.011-04:00

I just read an update about this contest in the NY Times over the weekend but apparently something the Lincvolt team has been working on since last year. Not sure those flat wheel covers are working for me (aerodynamics) but I love the 59' Lincoln Continental as a test mule. Also never realized Neil Young was into old cars. Check out these two old videos taken at his ranch and go for a (short) ride in his Willy's Jeepster.

Imperial Perk

2009-04-07T16:52:00.015-04:00

Get my secretary on the horn with Chrysler! Boy, how times have changed. Apparently, back in 1962, if one's vocation was an attorney 0f "eminent" status, you were entitled to some really nice perks from the Chrysler Corporation. According to this ad (above), they would be calling me to specify an "hour of appointment." The dealer would deliver the car to my home or office, where he would "brief me on the operation of it's controls," (We're talking about a top of the line Imperial here)... "Then the Imperial is yours, not for a quick drive around the block, but for as long as you need to make a full and private evaluation of Imperial motoring." Hmm... let's see, how about I get back to you in a couple of weeks after I see what this baby can really do?

The Bentley dealer in Bellevue, Washington posted some photos of this nicely preserved 62' Imperial they have up for sale. $18,800 and it's yours. Me, I think I like that original attorney's arrangement.

Perfection

2009-03-27T10:55:00.002-04:00

Wheaton's

2009-03-21T15:52:00.010-04:00

Wheaton's Texaco station sat on the corner of Pond street and Rt. 3a in Winchester, MA., across from what was then Mahoney's Rocky Ledge Farm. It was a half mile from my house as the crow flies, if one cut through a thicket of woods or a nearby farmer's field. I suppose it was already one of a dying breed of service stations by the late sixties when I first started frequenting it on foot as kid with an urge to explore.

Neighborhood friends and I would gravitate towards this place, drawn by the treasure trove of old cars out back and three generations of old tow trucks in various stages of disrepair. These included an old Model AA, and a mid-fifties F-100. Climbing in these relics and working the gears was irresistible to the likes of 9 and 10-year old boys. A "junk" pile of cast off engine parts lay to the side of the building for the taking. We would sometimes bring home old pistons and valves and polish them up in the basement. There was also the draw of the soda machine in the front lobby which dispensed 25 cent Cokes and Fanta grape and orange sodas. We'd sit there with the sun streaming in the big plate glass window in front, watching the mechanics work and listening to the bell ring every time a customer drove up. By the mid-seventies, I had gotten my driver's license and would pull into Wheaton's occasionally to fill the 2o gallon tank on the family Cutlass. By the early eighties, the station was gone, having been leveled to make way for an Old Colony. Another generic self-serve, and the end of an era.

Bodie

2009-03-14T15:30:00.002-04:00

This looks like a cool place to check out...

Weed 'n Feed

2009-03-12T13:36:00.006-04:00

Springtime in the South. Blue skies. Beach weather, and... Kudzu. Nothing like it up north. Down here, it'll eat your ride (or at least cover it up) in no time.

Running on Empty

2009-03-11T09:38:00.006-04:00

Bright Ideas

2009-03-01T14:15:00.008-05:00

When I was about ten or eleven, my friends and I used to challenge each other on what make and model vehicle was coming down the street. If it was after dark, you only had the headlights and taillights to go on. The headlights were tough but not impossible. The taillights on the other hand were usually dead givaways. Try doing that today. Detroit's been taking a lot of heat lately and I am the last one that wants to see any of the big three go under. There's that old saying, "you can't go home again". When I look at these three examples of masterful (IMHO) detroit styling... I sometimes wish we could.

Big Iron

2009-02-20T07:54:00.019-05:00

"A vintage International Harvester from the 1940s, the derelict vehicle is located twenty-five miles west of Healy as the raven flies, rusting incongruously in the fireweed beside the Stampede Trail, just beyond the boundary of Denali National Park. The engine is gone. Several windows are cracked or missing altogether, and broken whiskey bottles litter the floor. The green-and-white paint is badly oxidized. Weathered lettering indicates that the old machine was once part of the Fairbanks City Transit System: bus 142. These days it isn’t unusual for six or seven months to pass without the bus seeing a human visitor, but in early September 1992, six people in three separate parties happened to visit the remote vehicle on the same afternoon."

I've always loved that haunting image of the old school bus on the cover of John Krakauer's 1996 book, Into the Wild, and the excerpt that describes it (above). Sets an appropriate tone for some of these other forgotton relics.

Gentleman's Goat

2009-02-10T16:59:00.021-05:00

I came across some images of this "wide-track" gem recently. Pontiac really had it's styling act together in 1966. You would never mistake the Grand Prix for anything else on the road. I always loved the stance on these things and the level of detail on those massive rockers. This one has been lovingly restored and includes factory options like the Tri-power 389, 8-lug wheels and a retractable trunk light. Check out the documentation... build sheet, original title and window sticker. Very cool.

Big Sky Blues

2009-02-02T14:13:00.009-05:00

Yeah, I know. Another Buick posting.... in less than a month. There's just something about seeing this 65' Riviera sitting out there in the plains, slowly succumbing to the elements. So many questions. How did it wind up there? What's lurking under that hood? Could it be the optional "Wildcat 465" engine putting out 340 horsepower or maybe the "Super Wildcat" making 360? Would those clamshells still work? It seems a fitting backdrop for such a gorgeous piece of detroit sculpture.

Whiskey Cars

2009-01-21T08:14:00.012-05:00

I just finished a great read by Neal Thompson. Driving With the Devil, Southern Moonshine, Detroit Wheels and the Birth of NASCAR. One intriguing aspect was how much Henry Ford and his cars directly influenced the success of the early bootleggers. Men like Red Voght, a mechanic who got his start modifying the early "whisky cars", Lloyd Seay, moonshiner and racer, and Red Byron, who won NASCAR's first race in 1948, all sang the praises of the Ford V-8. It was also interesting reading the dynamics of how these cars handled while carrying a full load of moonshine, how far they could be pushed, and the driving techniques employed to gain any edge while outrunning the law. Later in the book, you get the perspective from the driver's seat in some of the early NASCAR venues like Daytona Beach. This was decades before seat belts or any regard for safety. There was actually a technique used where the ruts in the soft sand would allow the drivers to get up on two wheels and power through the corners. Vehicles often rolled in these dangerous turns. The ones that still ran (and whose drivers weren't incapacitated) were flipped back over and would continue racing. Check out the following clip about 40 seconds in.

Barn Find

2009-01-15T09:20:00.017-05:00

Maybe "quonset hut" find might be the more appropriate term judging by the looks of these photos. This dust covered beauty is a 1932 Lincoln KA Victoria Five Passenger Coupe, also designated the Model 506. Weighing in at 5,270 pounds, the V-8 powered coupe was described in the original sales literature as "the perfect car for families with small children". Well-off families that is, with an out the door cost of around $3,200 during the depression. I'd love to poke around this storage space to see what else might be hiding in there. Here's a nicely restored 1934 version of a similar model, this one with the V-12, on RM auctions' website.

Rumble

2009-01-13T11:27:00.005-05:00

I saw Pulp Fiction the other night for the umpteenth time. This song makes the movie IMHO... Link Wray was the man. Worth a quick listen here.

Lucky Stars

2009-01-07T08:45:00.013-05:00

Set the way-back machine to March 26, 1941, Staten Island, New York. My father was a salesman at the time for the American Tobacco Company, selling Lucky Strike cigarettes. He managed to make the front page of the Staten Island Advance that day after sideswiping two other vehicles and flipping his company car. He was lucky enough to walk away with a bruised shoulder. Be curious to know what the make was on that vehicle. I can tell it's a panel wagon and the grill looks fairly distinctive. Judging by how heavily congested that street looks, he must have really had his foot into it. Check out the ads for a $710 Nash and Oldsmobile's "heating and ventilation" system in that same edition.

Resolutions

2009-01-02T13:35:00.010-05:00

New Year's day was brisk (for Charleston) and a good one to get out and exercise after the foodfest of the holidays. I was thinking about resolutions (like how I never keep them) when I spotted not one, but two nice old classics that I hadn't seen around before. Mind you, this is a rather small city, and after living here for ten years, I've mentally catalogued any interesting vehicles older than say 1972. What surprised me is that these were both local. One was a 1957 Thunderbird and the other I'm pretty sure a 1960 Oldsmobile 88, neither of which have been at the car shows. Makes you wonder how many other nice rides are hidden away in their owner's garages only to be driven on rare occasions. I happened upon one of those last summer while looking at some real estate. I was suddenly more interested in the 66' Galaxie convertible hiding under a tarp in the garage then hearing what the agent had to say about the house. As for resolutions, I resign myself to stop eyeballing that 1963 Riviera down the street with the For Sale sign on it. Definitely not in the budget right now.

Native New Yorker

2008-12-26T12:04:00.015-05:00

Here's a nice example of an early fifties Chrysler New Yorker Newport Hardtop. 1951 was the first year to feature the Hemi V8. Check out a similarly equipped 51' New Yorker in the video taken onboard at the 2008 Chihuahua Express. These things really moved.

New England Memories

2008-12-22T16:56:00.006-05:00

Boone Hall Beauties

2008-12-17T07:50:00.011-05:00

The Carolina Open Car Classic and Hot Rod Run was held last weekend at historic Boone Hall Plantation. A magnificent location for a car show and one that is only a mile or so down the road from my house, so no excuses not to attend. This was the last big car show of the season in Charleston, and despite the slightly muddy field from rain the day before, turnout was strong. My own Best of Show would have gone to a gorgeous, 1950 Ford Tudor Sedan. Immaculately restored and bone stock. I also wish I had $10k burning a hole in my pocket to purchase a beautiful, black on maroon 1963 Buick Wildcat Hardtop Sedan. It's a vehicle owned by a local chef in Charleston that I know who was nice enough to let me take this baby for a spin several years ago. A two-owner car with the bucket seats, center console tach and 425 cubic inch "Wildcat 445" engine package (445-FT-LB of torque), very nice...

The Torino Rides Again

2008-12-09T16:30:00.015-05:00

I will shamelessly admit I watched the original Starsky & Hutch series back in 1974 when it first aired. Of course everyone knows the true star of the show (aside from Huggy Bear) was Starsky's Gran Torino... a car Paul Michael Glaser apparently termed the "striped tomato" upon seeing it on the set the first time. This was cheesy, seventies cop show action at it's finest and the mostly "show" 74'-76' Torino's faux muscle attitude captured it perfectly. Flash forward thirty two years and Clint Eastwood is directing and starring in "Gran Torino", abut a Korean war veteran and his coveted 72' Torino. Variety magazine calls Eastwood's character "a cantankerous curmudgeon who can be fairly described as Archie Bunker fully loaded (with beer and guns)" and this gem... "At 78, perhaps the only actor in the history of cinema to convincingly kick the butt of a guy 60 years his junior." Sounds like great holiday fare to me. Pass the popcorn.

Barn Fresh Roadster

2008-12-05T13:36:00.021-05:00

I was reviewing the projects section of ebay Motors last week and saw this listing for a fresh barn find. It's a 62' Corvette Roadster that appears largely original. Sitting for thirty-five years puts a unique patina on a vehicle. Loving the size of that tiller... Check it out.

Tangerine Dreams

2008-11-28T16:06:00.012-05:00

I'm not sure that General Motors even produced this shade of paint in their mid-fifties Buick model line... but maybe I'm dreaming. A handsome front end and factory tinted glass on what looks to be a 56' Super Riviera... a shame that it's sinking slowly into the West Texas undergrowth.

Doin' the Charleston 2008

2008-11-22T17:07:00.023-05:00

Today, we drove up to the car show put on by Charleston's Street Rods Unlimited at the Ladson Fairgrounds. The event featured some cool rides from 1948 and earlier. Turnout was slow to materialize by the unseasonably cold temps (now I remember why we didn't have many car shows in the Northeast after October). I kept coming back to the few Rat Rods in attendance... hats off to the old school talent on the hand painted graphics... Check it out. FYI, after the show, Kelly's Barbecue just down the road puts out some killer eats.

Ghosts of Cumberland

2008-11-18T13:22:00.010-05:00

The rusting remains of these 1930's, 40's and 50's vehicles wait... sentinels under the live oaks on Cumberland Island, Georgia. Some of these are from the era of the Rockefeller famlies Dungeness estate which burned in 1959. What looks to be a Studebaker is second in from far right.

The People's Car

2008-11-10T14:16:00.012-05:00

I recently came across the "instruction" manual for the 1960 Volkswagon Beetle Deluxe Sunroof Sedan that I owned in the months before heading off to college. Like most of us who had one of these cars, (my first) there are good and bad memories. This was the summer of 1978. It was the perfect island vehicle with the sliding canvas sunroof and great for tooling around the back roads of Nantucket where I was working. By August however, things were starting to go... brakes, exhaust system and electrical gremlins. Back in Boston that fall, the first snowstorm brought a new reality. These cars were awful to drive in the New England winter. I'd have one hand out the drivers side window trying to keep the snow and ice off the wipers while freezing my butt off inside. By the following spring, I sold it for the $100 it was worth and my brief affair with "the bug" was over.

Jet Age

2008-11-07T08:13:00.004-05:00

Nice aircraft styling clues on the front fenders and side trim of this 1960 Impala.

Fifty Nine

2008-11-04T08:20:00.002-05:00

Fuel for Thought

2008-10-29T08:02:00.004-04:00

When was the last time you saw these kind of aesthetics in a fuel filler door?

British Car Day 2008

2008-10-25T16:59:00.025-04:00

Today was the British Car Club of Charleston's annual show. I must admit, my tastes lean more toward Detroit iron, but today's show was local and the price was right. Also, the overcast weather was a good opportunity to play around with some black & white photography. There was the usual nice selection of MG's, Austin Healeys, Jaguars and Triumphs. What I really got a kick out of however was the old Vette parked just outside the viewing area. I've never been into Corvettes, but this 56' was decked out in mottled primer, and dripping with attitude. I've seen it around town over the past year and I like the fact that the owner seems to enjoy driving it as is. No trailer queen, this one.

The Torpedo Six

2008-10-22T13:36:00.014-04:00

Sixty one years ago on a May afternoon, my father walked into Stout Pontiac in Malden, Massachusetts. He was there to pick up his new, two tone grey, 1947 Pontiac Torpedo Six sedan with an out-the-door price of $1,942.05. The invoice of that transaction went into his filing cabinet for the next fifty years. Recently, He asked me if I would be interested in some "old paperwork" that was being thrown away. I'm glad I said yes. It's not only a tiny slice of his life from postwar America but an interesting look at the optional equipment and accessories dealers offered back then and his efforts to decipher them (they totaled up to almost 1/4 of the price of the car). Also worth mentioning, the 47' model he was purchasing new was really not that much changed from the 41' model he was trading in... the postwar 46'-47' Pontiacs were entirely prewar in design and specifications. Regardless, the Torpedo was one stylish looking ride for it's day.

My thanks to John MacDonald for sharing this Torpedo photo from his collection.

Chromesmobile

2008-10-20T07:56:00.011-04:00

Decades before the tiny Fiesta was rolled out as Ford's so called "world car", there was another vehicle whose name suggested that the good times were just a stomp of the gas pedal away. This chrome festooned yacht was the Oldsmobile Super 88 Fiesta and was referred to within the company as the "Chromesmobile".

Metamorphosis

2008-10-15T17:09:00.005-04:00

Beautiful patina and implied motion in this photo. Also an interesting study in headlamp evolution. No longer a freestanding element but yet not fully integrated into the fender.

Faded Glory

2008-10-14T07:39:00.003-04:00

Here's an interesting visual history of the Cadillac crest.

Eye Candy

2008-10-13T08:30:00.004-04:00

Mid-fifties GM styling reached a high point with these two cultural icons... I'm torn between the 55' and the 57'. One speaks of the jet age and the later the rocket age. Either way, the likes of which we'll never see again.

Rusting Blues

2008-10-10T14:21:00.003-04:00

Shifting Sands

2008-10-09T08:36:00.018-04:00

There's a section of beach on Nantucket Island that runs for seven miles between Wauwinet and Great Point called "The Galls". It's a narrow ribbon of shifting sand and it occasionally reveals some secrets. Thirty years ago, while four wheeling out to the point, we came across what looked like a Model A frame and rear end. One can only guess this old beach vehicle was running too close to the waters edge, became bogged down, and was eventually overtaken by the tide. On my next trip out to the point that summer, the sands had once again reclaimed it.

Fresh Carnuba

2008-10-08T13:48:00.007-04:00

Open Header Symphony

2008-10-07T15:05:00.016-04:00

The video quality isn't great, but the raucous sound of this big block V-8 will put a smile on your face.

Instrumental Art

2008-10-07T08:19:00.008-04:00

Amperage? Check. Oil pressure? Check. Temperature? Check. Gasoline? Check. Idiot lights? Negative.

High Desert Deuce and a Quarter

2008-10-06T16:34:00.018-04:00

I'm pretty sure what we are looking at here is a 1968 Buick Electra 225 sedan. The sculpted body lines trashed as they are and missing their trim look about right. One can only guess about the roof. This shot interested me because I actually owned one of these land yachts back in the late seventies. It was a high-milage 65' Electra 225. The guy wanted $250 and I needed a car.

The paint was peeling and it's fender skirts were gone, but the black vinyl interior was decent. I remember having to use both feet on the brake pedal to haul this behemoth down from highway speed and realizing it was going to be a lot thirstier than the 1960 VW I was used to driving. Another little bit of trivia... they called the Electra 225 "deuce and a quarter" because of it's overall length. Back then, a lot of ride for a little money.

Savannah Bound

2008-10-02T07:43:00.023-04:00

This 1960 Buick LeSabre sedan rolled off the assembly line the year I was born. You can see the "jet-age" styling in the simulated twin-jet nacelles up front and the delta fins out back. When I moved down south, I thought I'd find a lot more old icons like this one.

They seem to be disappearing faster than ever. Already, I've made mental notes to go back and shoot an old vehicle only to find that it's vanished. This one was sitting in a field off of old Savannah Highway a few winters ago though probably long gone by now.

Black Beauty

2008-10-01T13:21:00.009-04:00

I love this photo of an early fifties Cadillac. Rolling sculpture to my eyes and symbolizing all that was right with detroit styling of that era. My father was a "Caddy" man. His passion for these vehicles started with his first 54' convertible and lasted some thirty years.